Thirty Pieces of Silver
Zechariah named the price of betrayal — fulfilled by Judas and the potter's field.
Zechariah foretold the shepherd of God's people being valued at thirty pieces of silver, the price flung down in the house of the LORD and given to the potter. Matthew records the precise fulfillment in Judas's betrayal and the buying of the potter's field.
The Prophecy
"...So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord."
The Fulfillment
"And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver."
"And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field...Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver..."
The exact sum
Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave gored by an ox in Exodus 21:32. That was the contempt-price assigned to the Good Shepherd by the leaders of His own people.
The potter's field
Judas flung the silver back in the temple; the priests, scrupling to add it to the treasury, bought the potter's field — fulfilling Zechariah's words to the letter.
People in This Prophecy
Verse Commentary
Read verse-by-verse commentary on the key passages of this prophecy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of thirty pieces of silver?
It was the slave-price of Exodus 21:32 and the exact sum prophesied in Zechariah 11 for the betrayal of the Shepherd.
What was the potter's field?
A burial plot bought with the returned silver, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy about the potter.
Related Bible Prophecies
The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53
Christ wounded for our transgressions — fulfilled at Calvary.
Psalm 22 and the Crucifixion
David's psalm reads like an eyewitness account of Calvary.
The Messiah Born of a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14 foretold a virgin would bear Immanuel — fulfilled in Mary.
The Messiah Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 named the village seven centuries in advance.
Related Reading
Continue your study with related content from across our library:
Judas Iscariot in the Bible
The Betrayer
Isaiah 9:6 — Meaning & Devotional
Messianic Prophecy
Micah 5:2 Commentary
In-depth study • Messianic Prophecy
Isaiah 61:1 Commentary
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Akeldama (Field of Blood) in the Bible
The field purchased with Judas's betrayal money, located south of Jerusalem.
Judas Iscariot Bible Quiz
The disciple who betrayed the Son of man with a kiss.